Adjustments
by TKDP
Summary: After being sent to the asylum, Skylar's having issues adapting to her old life. Can Oliver show her that she still is the girl she once was?


**Hello world! You asked for it, and you got it! Here's the sequel to Misunderstood! I can't tell you how excited I am to write my first sequel, and I hope I do a good job! So, I PMed all the reviewers of Misunderstood, and asked, because I felt like a whole lot more could've been said, but I didn't want my story to be too long. You know, you go to an asylum for two months and your life doesn't just snap back to normal when you're released. So, if there's a question you have about Misunderstood, it will hopefully be answered in this sequel. I recommend the song Perfect: by Pink. (I recommended a Pink song in Misunderstood.) I own nothing! Once again, I'm not listing the POV, but it won't matter anyway. Just so you know, I'm once again writing the story as though someone's talking to you, except this time in some points at a greater extent. It might be a little weird/confusing. Bear with me.**

It took me some time, but I was slowly opening up as the days went on. It was hard, but necessary. Skylar was with me. I had no reason to guard myself any longer. Kaz was glad to 'have me back' as he said. But I hadn't gone anywhere. Good thing, too. If I had, I wouldn't be able to become myself again!

Skylar, on the other hand, was having a much more difficult job adjusting. She was much quieter than her usual self, and she didn't look at people the same way as before. It was almost as though she was studying them, looking under the surface to see something only she could see. Either way, no one bothered her about it.

Then again, no one really bothered her about anything. Even Allen was cautious about what he said to her. No one even said the word "crazy," even in a joking manner. People were just too worried how she'd react. I didn't think Skylar would care, but that was because she was surprisingly open with me. (Well, as far as "open" could go in her current state.) Maybe that was because I'd saved her, for a change.

But I'm willing to bet what you want to know about is when I'd accidentally kissed her. Well, now you can know what happened.

 _Flashback:_

 _Skylar and I sat on the white couch in the REC room together, my arm was around her shoulders, and her arm was around my waist. She sighed, contentedly, and leaned her head on my shoulder. She had taken a shower, and was currently back in her usual uniform. All I wanted was to express how I felt to her, but even after all we'd been through, I was still a little nervous. But hey, if she could cheek-kiss me, so I could I._

 _I leaned in, and she suddenly turned her head, as though she knew I was coming, and I hit her lips._

I was about to pull my head back in shock, but then I noticed she wasn't pulling back. So why should I? This was what I'd always wanted. I wrapped my right arm around her waist, and caressed her head with my left hand. She threw her arms around my neck.

We stayed like that for probably around three minutes, but it felt like forever to me. I never wanted it to end. I was subconsciously aware of the various heroes exiting and entering the REC room, not to mention the ones who'd already been there. But it didn't matter to me. What mattered was she was here, with me, for the first time in two months. I didn't realize until that moment how alone I'd felt without her. But eventually the moment had to end. She pulled back first, naturally, and stared into my eyes.

"Thank you for being there for me." she whispered, before hugging me.

"Anytime Skylar, anytime. I'll never leave you again." I said, before throwing my arms around her.

"Oh. My. God." said a voice behind us. We turned our heads, only to see Kaz, Boji, and Fang standing in the doorway. "Oh...my God." repeated Boji. We quickly let go of each other and smiled at them awkwardly.

"How...long have you been standing there?" asked Skylar.

"Ever since you started eating him." responded Boji.

"BOJI!" I snapped, as Skylar blushed at what Boji said.

"Good job, by the way." said Boji.

"Oh I wish I had my camera." said Kaz.

"So…" asked Fang, awkwardly, "What were we looking at, anyway?"

"Yeah, are you guys, like, a couple?" asked Boji.

Skylar suddenly looked a little shy. At the time, I didn't understand why, but I'd later find out that sometimes she'd just randomly close up. It was a weird effect of the transition.

"What do you say, Skylar?" I whispered.

She stared at me. Always with the staring! I tried not to show it, but sometimes it frustrated me. "I don't know." she whispered.

"Do you want to...ease into it?" I asked. I knew not to push Skylar. She was still a little wound up from the traumatic experience. Skylar nodded, and I smiled and wrapped an arm around her.

"Well," said Boji, "I guess we'll leave you two alone."

That was as far as it went. Skylar could be herself around Kaz, Boji, and Fang (sometimes) and around me. But around others, she would close up. I tried not to show it, but I was worried. She was so different than the girl I once knew, it scared me. This whole thing was a big hit to her self-esteem. I just wanted the old Skylar back. But back to the present.

So, you now know what happened after the kiss, but now I need to go check on Skylar and the others.

I walked into the REC, only to find Kaz, Boji, Fang, and Skylar having a conversation. Well, it was sort of a conversation. Skylar was mostly smiling and nodding, and you could barely make out what Boji was saying because she was attempting to chew a rawhide and talk at the same time.

"Sho, Shylar, shen arg shou pranning to go brack to shool?" mumbled Boji.

"What?" I asked, while sitting down beside Skylar.

Boji spat the bone out. "I said, so, Skylar, when are you planning to go back to school? I thought I made that abundantly clear." Then she returned to gnawing on her bone.

"I...never thought about that." murmured Skylar.

A chill ran down my spine. "I never thought about that either." I didn't think Skylar was ready! I mean, she still was having issues catching up on the sleep she lost while in... _there_. (God, I couldn't even bring myself to think the word.) the last thing she needed was adding another thing into her life.

"I think I should go soon." whispered Skylar, suddenly.

"What!?" I cried. She flinched at my loud voice, "But, Skylar! Are you sure?!" I couldn't think of anything else to say. I couldn't keep her from going, but I sure didn't agree with her!

"Oliver." whispered Skylar, "If I don't go soon, I won't go ever."

"But...Skylar…" I said. I just couldn't imagine what it'd be like. She _couldn't_ go. "Maybe we should talk to Horace."

"Talk to me about what?" asked Horace, coming in.

"Do you think I should go back to school?" asked Skylar.

Horace's eyes widened for a moment, before he said, "Why do you want to do that?"

"I…" murmured Skylar, "um, something's telling me I should go."

"Skylar, I don't think this is a good idea." I finally said.

"And why not?" asked Skylar.

"Because…" I said, and then sighed, "What do you think it'll be like to go back to the place containing the people who put you in the…" Skylar nodded.

"I think I can handle it." said Skylar, "And you will be there with me, right?"

"Of course!" I cried. She flinched again.

"Well, then it's settled." said Kaz, "Skylar goes back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" I yelled. I thought "soon" would be in a week or so.

"Yeah." said Kaz, "What better day than tomorrow? Tomorrow's Friday, so we'll be off school the next day. We'll be free!"

"Not...exactly." said Horace.

"Horace…" I said.

"What are you keeping from us?" asked Kaz.

"Well," said Horace, "Actually, you'll be busy _next_ week."

"That doesn't mean you can keep this from us." said Kaz.

Horace sighed. "You know how you told me to do something about Jason?" asked Horace. We nodded. "Well, I pressed charges, and next Saturday's his trial. The court wants Skylar there as a witness."

Our jaws dropped down. We had expected Horace to be angry, but we didn't think he'd send Jason to jail! I turned to Skylar. Her eyes were wet with terrifying memories. She nodded, ever-so-slightly.

"I will." she said, "I _so_ will." It was the first time real life had entered her words since she'd been taken away.

 **The next day, at school**

Walking up to the school, Skylar seemed fairly okay. But when we entered, things got bad fast. First, the whole student body was staring at her, because it wasn't every day a classmate was taken to an...asylum, and then released. Skylar looked nervous, and pressed closer to me. I put an arm around her, and we quickly tried to make our way through the crowd, as Kaz attempted to put the rumors at rest. Even so, I heard snippets of gossip as we passed.

 _Did you see her?_

 _I don't think this is safe…_

 _What could she have done to put her in an asylum?_

 _Is she insane?  
_ _Will she go back?_

I heard Skylar let out a soft whimper as I realized the hurtful rumors were getting at her. "Don't listen to them." I whispered.

"It's hard not to." she said, "It's all I can hear." She had a point. It didn't seem like one person wasn't talking about Skylar.

It only got worse when we entered class. Skylar didn't raise her hand, and barely spoke. I could see her hand tremble when she held the pencil, and she didn't look too focused. The sleep depravity was probably catching up to her. Plus, since she hadn't been around for two months, a lot had passed she didn't know about, and I could tell she was stressed.

"Hey." I whispered, "Are you okay."

Skylar didn't even look at me, just shook her head.

I sighed, and kept an eye on her as I worked.

"Okay!" cried the teacher. Oh yeah, to mention, she was the teacher Kaz tricked with the help of Timeline. So, not exactly Miss. People-Person. "It's time to collect papers!"

She went down line, judging people as she passed. "Fail, fail, passed (barely) fail, disappoint-my-parents…" And then she arrived at Skylar's desk. She looked at the paper, laughed, and said, "Connie, this is pathetic. You got them all wrong."  
Some know-it-all kids started to laugh, and the other looked afraid, as though she'd hurt the teacher. In reality, Skylar folded her arms over her head. Her head was on the desk. Honestly, I was surprised she wasn't _under_ the desk yet.

The day progressed like that, except most teachers won't so bold with her. At lunch, most of the other teens sat far away, with just Allen, Gus, Jordan, Kaz, Skylar, and I at our usual lunch table. Gus joked that it must've been something he ate, but we all knew the real reason people were staying away.

"They act like it's a disease!" said Jordan, suddenly.

"What do you mean?" asked Gus, though I was pretty sure he was just being polite.

"They act like they can catch insanity!" said Jordan, almost angrily.

"Connie's not insane." I said.

"Wait." said Kaz, "Are you actually _sticking up_ for Connie?"

"N-no!" cried Jordan, clearly realizing her mistake.

Skylar sighed. "I'm not crazy." she whispered.

We all (even Jordan) gave her sympathetic looks. We were annoyed that people looked at her like this, yes, but we couldn't possibly imagine how awful Skylar felt.

Eventually, the weekend did come, and the big question from everyone at Mighty Med was did Skylar want to go back to school. I was surprised to find she said yes. Well, Skylar never was a quitter. But that didn't mean I agreed with her.

"Skylar." I said to her before school on Monday, "Are you sure about this? You weren't...happy last time." I'd almost said 'accepted,' but chose different words.

"They'll understand eventually." said Skylar, "I just need to give it time." She didn't say anything more, as usual. She hadn't been trying to carry out conversations lately.

I sighed. Maybe Jason would reveal the truth about Skylar during his trial, and everyone would understand. Or, maybe the judge would see Jason as doing his job and let him leave the court, so he could go back to treating patients like dust. The thing that scared me most was, what if the judge let him loose, and he came back for Skylar. During our talk, he really seemed to believe she was crazy.

The next school week really changed Skylar. She wore darker clothes, as though she was trying to blend in. She never talked during school, and I could tell the more she changed, the weirder everyone though she was. I just wanted the old Skylar back.

I didn't just mean I wanted the old her from before the asylum, I wanted the her from farther before that, the one who embraced life and, you know, didn't jump off staircases. And I thought a part of her wanted that Skylar back too.

Anyway, it was Friday again, the day before the trial, and the gang and I were having lunch. They had all said they'd be preset for the trial. We were all talking about it, except for the absence of one voice.

"Um, _Connie_." I said, "Do you want to come over to my house tonight? I feel like you might want to...calm down."

It was true. Even though the only emotion Skylar showed lately was sadness, I could tell that the prospect of seeing Jason again terrified her. Also, her eyes had dark circles surrounding them, which clued me in that she hadn't been sleeping well for the last few nights. Luckily, I knew what'd get her to sleep. It was based off a very interesting chat I had with Boji, where she was telling me the results of eating too much sugar cane.

To my relief, Skylar nodded and cracked a half-smile. Hey, that was an improvement from what she was used to.

Jordan and Gus looked a little relieved. Kaz too. It had been a while since she smiled, and even if it was just a half-smile, it was still something. I sighed. Just something. That was officially considered 'good' to us. Where had things gone so wrong? Oh yeah. The one time I wasn't there for her.

Nothing changed, of course. Throughout school she was the same (or should I say knew?) Skylar. Still dressed in shades of grey and black, still incredibly quiet, still afraid to raise her hand. The trial _had_ to change something. I didn't think _I_ could go on with Skylar like this. And another thing I'd noticed, she had started picking at her food. She wasn't eating much. Even less than usual, and as Horace had said, she'd had a very hefty appetite. I was worried which would make her drop first, the sleep deprivation or the starvation.

Anyway, my mom was out of the house, (something about business) and it was just Skylar and I. She looked somewhat happy, but I didn't expect to get a big rise from her. But I'd have to let Boji's plan unfold normally, so despite the gnawing instinct to help immediately, I just talked to her for a while before we headed up to bed.

Of course I knew how this would play out. In a little while, I came into the room she was staying in, and (of course) found her awake. "Skylar, what's wrong?" I asked, even though I could've guessed.

Skylar sighed. "Everytime I close my eyes, I hear the screams. The screams of all those people after dark. I can't get myself to fall into a deep enough sleep so that I can't hear, because the noises always wake me up."

"Wait." I said, "The screams keep you awake?" That wasn't the answer I'd expected.

She nodded, and then sighed and said, "Maybe I really am crazy."

"Hey." I said, "You're _not_ crazy." I paused. "You know what I think is best when you're in a bad mood? Ice cream. You want some?"

Skylar shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

I grinned. The plan was working.

We walked downstairs, and I grabbed some chocolate ice cream. Since no one can resist ice cream, I was able to get her to eat it, and as I suspected, as soon as she ate it, she realized how hungry she was. In the end, she had a bunch of bowls. And then the plan took place.

Skylar started drumming her fingers on the counter and tapping her feet on the floor. "What's happening?!" she cried, "I'm...vibrating!"

"It was Boji's idea." I said.

Skylar grabbed my shirt collar. "WHat did you put in that ice cream?"  
"Nothing." I said, "It's a natural reaction. It's called...a sugar high."

"Well, what's that?!" cried Skylar.

"Listen." I said, "There's no ice cream on your home planet, because it's way too hot there. But a sugar high should cure your problem in five, four, three, two…"

Right on cue, her head smacked against the counter and she fell asleep.

"One." I said, as I picked her up and carried her upstairs. I'd have to thank Boji later.

Skylar slept _way_ longer than normal, but I didn't wake her. For all I knew, this was the first time she'd slept in a week. She eventually woke up around twelve. Thank God the trial was at five.

"Hey, Skylar." I said, walking in. She had bed-head and looked a little sick to her stomach, but on the bright side, the dark circles were gone, and her eyes looked less clouded.

She yawned, loudly. "Hey, Oliver." she said, "How long did I sleep?"

I thought about it. "Around twelve hours. Maybe more."

"Over twelve hours!" screamed Skylar, her eyes snapping open.

"Yeah." I said, "Don't worry, you needed it. Besides, the trial is in five hours. You have time."

Well, things moved quickly after that. Skylar got dressed, (Dark clothes, as usual) and we had breakfast (Yes, I was able to convince her to eat) and left. We still had three hours, but we were planning on meeting Kaz at Mighty Med first. Jordan and Gus agreed to come to the trial, and they'd be meeting us there.

"Hey guys." said Kaz.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." said Skylar, shyly.

"I'm so ready to watch Jason grovel to the court!" snarled Boji.

We turned to her in shock. She was truly passionate about this. "You know what?" said Skylar, "I am too."

"Wait." said Kaz, "I don't think animals are allowed in court."

"He he." said Boji, "Let 'em try to keep me out."

 **The court**

Skylar gulped. Standing outside the court, the moment had arrived. "Skylar?" I asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes." she said, softly. It was time to face him again. Months of suffering were thrust upon Skylar because of him, and now was his time.

"The charges against you are strong, Jason." purred the Judge, "What is your testimony?"

"I'm not guilty." said Jason, "I was simply doing my job. No one has proof I've done any illegal act,"

"Oh yeah?" I said, "If the police were to check your hospital, which I'm sure they have, they'll find inadequate resources and unhealthy living conditions."

"The boy is correct." said the Judge. Jason started to sweat. "The police has searched your establishment, and we have confirmed that keeping humans there is a vile and certainly illegal act. This is quite the crime, and the odds aren't in your favor. Do you have any statements to prove you aren't guilty?"

Jason hung his head. "No." he said.

"And you, Miss. Valentine, as a...witness, of his crime, what have you got to say?" said the Judge.

Skylar stood up, and a hush fell over the court. It just occured to me, Skylar had never been in a court before, and I didn't know what she'd say. Boji (who'd been snuck in in a suitcase) whimpered and nudged Skylar's leg. Skylar didn't look down, but spoke in a loud (yes, loud) and clear voice, "Jason's actions has had a dire effect on my life, and has caused a rift between me and society. I have no claims to support him, and I'd never even consider siding with him, because as a receiver of his ill-will, I believe he should be punished."

Skylar sat back down, and my mouth dropped open. I had no idea she had that in her. Kaz patted her shoulder, and I squeezed her hand.

"Very well." announced the Judge. "The charges have been placed by Miss. Valentin and her...guardian" (we'd managed to convince the court Horace was Skylar's 'legal guardian,' and that she lived with him) "so we have no choice but to put you…"

"No no no." whispered Jason.

"...in prison." said the Judge. "Five years for your actions. And if we find out you continue to terrorize people upon your release date, we shall consider a much...lengthier...stay."

Skylar stared, expressionless, as two cops led Jason down the court aisle and out the door, to the awaiting police car. I could hear the sirens as they drove off.

"He's really gone?" I heard Skylar whisper.

"Yeah, he's really gone." I said, pulling her into a hug.

"He's really gone!" cried Skylar, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks.

I hoped this meant a change. Maybe now that Jason was officially gone, Skylar could return to normal. Maybe.

As we left the court, we noticed it was later than we thought. It was around eight, and it was getting dark fast. Jordan and Gus were taking the bus home, and we were walking, since a bus doesn't stop at a hospital, and we wanted to walk Skylar home.

As we walked, we began to realize we were getting into a less populated area. We picked up the pace, knowing this wasn't the best way to go. Before we knew it, we were approached by two big guys.

"Who are you?" I asked. Whether I said anything wrong or not, one of the guys pinned me against an alley wall.

"We're friends of Jason." said one goon.

"Yeah." said the other. "We hear you pressed charges, now we're gonna press you. Into the ground."

"That makes no sense." said Kaz.

"You're gonna be the one makin' no sense once you're talkin' with no teeth!" threatened the first guy.

The first guy grabbed me, the second grabbed Kaz, and they put guns to our foreheads. They both grabbed long sticks with loops on them, and looped them around Boji and Fang's neck, as they struggled. But everyone knows those sticks, they're the kind no canine can escape from. Soon they realized it was hopeless. I shivered at the cold metal pressed against me. "Skylar, run!" I screamed. Could she even handle a fight in her current situation.

A chill ran up my spine as I sensed another presence. Suddenly, a third guy jumped out, and wrapped an arm around Skylar's waste, holding a gun to her neck. "SKYLAR!" I screamed.

"Quiet, kid!" said the guy holding me, "Or I'll shoot!" I shut my mouth, afraid of what would happen next. I figured we'd be killed, because I doubted Skylar would react, and Kaz and I didn't have the ability to take them down.

Suddenly, Skylar elbowed the guy holding her in the rib, took his gun, and tossed it aside. "What are you doing!?" I screamed.

"Taking them down." she said. She quickly knocked her guy over with a powerful and accurate punch, and kicked him in the forehead to knock him out. She quickly kicked out her leg, right into the sticks holding Boji and Fang,and broke those sticks in half! The other two guys turned their guns on her, and she ducked into a flip as they fired. She then came up behind Kaz's guy, kicked him in the back, and pulled Kaz out of the way so he wasn't crushed by the man.

"Thanks." said Kaz, breathlessly.

"We aren't going down without a fight." said Skylar, "Get that rope." She gestured to some rope in the alley. I was surprised by the dominant stance she'd taken. I hadn't seen her look more alive since...what was it?...four months ago?

"Stay still or I shoot!" screamed my guy, pulling the trigger against my neck halfway. Skylar gasped, and stepped back slowly. In such a precarious position, she had no option.

"Up against the wall!" he shouted. Skylar backed up. One of his buds stood up shakily, and grabbed their gun. "You're gonna pay for what ya did!" he shouted in a drunken slur. That was it. These guys were truly crazy.

The guy pinning Skylar against the wall also held his arm out to block Kaz's weak attempts to stop him. Hey, he was dealing with a _big_ guy. "You're gonna wish you's weren't born." snarled the guy.

"For the record, I wasn't." snapped Skylar, before kicking him into the guy holding me. The two toppled over each other.

"Clever." I said.

"Well…" said Skylar.

"Come on! Beat it guys!" screamed Kaz.

We raced down the street, the guys a good distance away. We wanted to keep it that way. When we finally reached Mighty Med, we were panting, but at the same time, Skylar looked thrilled.

"That was awesome!" shouted Boji, "Skylar! You were, like, everywhere at once!"

Skylar blushed. "Ah, it was nothing."

"No Skylar, it wasn't." I said, "You showed a bravery you've...hidden...for four months. Where did it come from?"

"I don't know." said Skylar, "I think something in me just snapped. I've wasted too much of my life on this issue, and I'm tired of being afraid. I just wasn't able to change how I was. It was as if something inside was holding me back. But I'm tired of it. It kept me from sleeping, eating, focusing, talking, even looking like my real self. I'm over being so different. I wanted to go back to being me, but I just couldn't! That is, until I thought you guys were going to be killed. Whatever happened, something inside me surged forward and changed back into the old me. And...I don't want it to change. I don't want to be the girl I've been for the past four months. I want to be the old me. Can...you guys help?"

"Of course." said Kaz, "We'd be happy to."

"Welcome back." I said.

"I think…" said Skylar, "I was never truly gone."

 **Aww! Sweet and sad, I'm surprised this reached the same number of pages as Misunderstood. I hope you liked reading, even though it was a little fast paced. Sorry about that! Anyway, I packed it with romance without making it cheesy, and now you all know what happened next! I don't know if you want this to end darkly or something, but I like to believe Oliver helped her become the hero she had been. Okay, on to Disney High! I hope you liked this! Bye!**


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